Wireless aerial



Oct. 1, A. F EN 2,016,011

WIRELES S AERIAL Filed Aug. 6, 1934 Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIRELE SS AERIAL Application August 6,

1934, Serial No. 738,630

In Great Britain August 18, 1933 5 Claims.

This invention relates to wireless aerials, and has for its object so constructing the actual conductor that it remains erected Without support at its further extremity. It is generally agreed 5 that, within limits, height is preferable to more length in an outdoor aerial. T erect a tall mast close to the wireless apparatus and run the aerial wire up at a sharp angle (while gaining in height without undue length), results in the screening of the conductor by the mast, in addition to the practical difliiculties.

The aims of the present invention are to place most of the conductor length into height, erect an outdoor aerial of considerable length without fixtures beyond the premises, and provide an easily transported aerial for portable wireless work.

The most obvious and practical form of conductor capable of remaining erect without support at its further extremity is that of a hollow, elongated-metal cone. To make this cone conveniently transportable, there are a plurality of methods, as hereinafter described.

The invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of blank from which one form of the aerial is constructed.

Fig. 2 is a view of the same aerial completed and erected.

Fig. 3 shows an alternative construction of the aerial.

Fig. 4 shows a sectional elevation of the base holder.

Fig. 5 shows an elevation of a joint, clip or holder.

A convenient construction consists of a hollow, elongated cone of copper-plated springy steel, formed from a thin strip of steel, having the shape of a narrow sector of a large circle I as shown in Fig. 1. This sector would be rolled into the conical form 2 shown in Fig. 2. The edges may butt or overlap. The tempering of the steel would be such as to allow the cone tobe opened at the base, and rolled from base to apex, or vice versa, for compactness in packing, a band preventing its unrolling. This band" may be the periphery of a cylindrical container, a slit from side to side allowing the strip to emerge under control. It will be appreciated that when a piece of thin sheet steel of suitable prescription is correctly tempered in the conical shape described, and afterwards opened and rolled from end to end, it has a strong tendency to unroll and curl to the conical form again, and strongly resist bending.

The cone base is gripped securely between the inner tapered and flanged plug, ring or cone frustum 3 Fig. 4 and an outer flanged ring, cone or frustum 4, such ring being drawn towards the cone base by bolts or the like 5.

An eye 1 formed in the plug base is bushed and washered with insulating material, and a double eye projecting from a fixing bracket is bolted thereto. Or a boss 8 with radial wings or spokes 9 secured to the inner plug, may be bushed and 10 washered with insulating material Ill to receive a fixing bolt H. To prevent crippling by the wind, the seam may be prevented from gaping, under strain, by a series of thin washers or rings placed over the cone. Or, the edges may be perforated at the overlap, and wire laced, bolted or otherwise secured as the cone is withdrawn from the container. Alternatively, the overlap may be increased to 100% or more of the circumference and thus make gaping possible. The curling 20 of the sector blank in this case, may be such as to form a volute instead of a circular crosssection; then, when the minor volution is sprung over the major, the edges lie tight against the cone, and the whole is rigid. The larger end 5 of the cone may be overlapped more times than the smaller end, to give extra strength Where needed. The blank in this case, would not be a true sector. The aerial need not be of a perfectly conical shape, a cone frustum form being permissible. The metal may not of necessity be copper coated steel, but may be of any metal which will acquire the necessary springiness in manufacture; and the coating, where needed, may be of zinc, nickel, varnish or like material.

The aerial may be constructed into sections l2, joined in any suitable manner, preferably by the holder shown in Fig. 5, in which the overlapping sections are gripped between an inner and an outer tapered ring or cone frustum l3 and I4 40 Fig. 5 drawn together by a plurality of equidistant tapered screws I5 each entering a hole 16 and H in the outer and inner ring respectively, the disposition of such holes being eccentric be-- fore tightening and concentric or nearly so, when 45 the screws are fully driven. The overlapping conductors would be slotted to clear these screws.

A second or a third ring of holes, between, but staggered, slightly above or below the outer holes l6 may be formed in the frustum M to provide a greater range of grip by revolving the frustum I4 till a series of outer holes register eccentrically and longitudinally with the inner holes I1. This clip may be modified for use as the base holder, by fitting an insulator and fixing bolt.

An alternative construction consists of forming the conductor in thin seamless, or efliciently seamed, metal tubing of conical formation, as before, but, for convenience, composed of a plurality of graduated sections of convenient length, arranged telescopically as in Fig. 3, and secured at each joint by the clip shown in Fig. 5 or by male and female screwed rings, concentrically disposed on the sections to be joined. The base of this aerial would be attached, through an insulator, to a fixing bracket as before described; such bracket may allow a vertical, sloping, or horizontal disposition of the aerial from a roof, post or wall. Two or more aerials may be fixed to a common point to form a T, Y or tree" aerial.

The terminal screw may be fitted to the base holder for the lead-in wire or a light metal arm provided with a terminal screw at the extremity may be attached to the base holder at approximately right angles to the aerial to bring the leadin wire down at an angle to the wall when fixed on a roof.

Where the length of the aerial cone is thirty feet the base would be one foot or less in diameter, according to the quality of the metal used. Other sizes may be in proportion.

I claim:

1. A wireless aerial capable of remaining erected without support at its further extremity, comprising a, thin walled hollow elongated metal cone, a clamp secured to the base of said cone and means for connecting said clamp to a support, Said means being insulated from the clamp.

2. A wireless aerial comprising a thin walled elongated cone of thin springy sheet material formed from a narrow sector of a large circle with the seam overlapping, said sheet material being so tempered that it normally retains its conical form, means for preventing gaping at the seam a clamp secured to the base of said cone and means for connecting said clamp to a support, said means being insulated from the clamp.

3. A wireless aerial comprising an elongated cone formed from springy sheet steel, curled and tempered to a volute cross section, the minor volutions being afterwards sprung over the major giving an overlap, a clamp secured to the base of said cone and means for connecting said clamp 5 to a support, said means being insulated from the clamp.

4. A wireless aerial capable of remaining erected without support at its extremity comprising a thin walled hollow elongated metal cone, an inner and an outer flanged cone frustrum having the base of said elongated metal cone interposed between the frustrums, means associated with the flanges of the frustrums providing relative longitudinal movement of said frustrums gripping tightly said base of the metal cone between the tapers of the frustrums, radial wings on the in side of the inner frustrum, a boss fixed to the ends of said radial wings, an insulated lining provided in said boss and a bolt passing through said insulated lining connecting said inner frustrum with a support.

5. A wireless aerial capable of remaining erected without support at its further extremity comprising a thin walled hollow metal cone in at least two sections, two concentric cone rings having the joints of said elongated metal cone interposed therebetween, means providing longitudinal relative movement of said cone rings for gripping said joints, an inner and an outer flanged cone frustrum having the base of said elongated metal cone interposed between the frustrums, means associated with the flanges of the frustrums providing relative longitudinal movement of said frustrums gripping tightly said base of the metal cone between the tapers of the frustrums, radial wings on the inside of the inner frustrum, a boss fixed to the ends of said radial wings, an insulated lining provided in said boss and a bolt passing through said insulated lining 40 connecting said inner frustrum with a support.

ARNOLD FREDERICK KENT. 

